Here are just a few pictures from our visit to Franklin Park Conservatory. I will add some each day....I have a bunch!

Dad please tell Grandma that I thought about her while we were there. I am so glad that she came out to visit me and go to Ameri Flora 96, we made some great memories. I always think of Grandma when I am at the conservatory....all those plants and flowers remind me of her and make me smile.

FIORI

A CHIHULY GARDEN OF GLASS

We went over to the zoo for a few hours of skating today. The kids are off school for Martin Luther King day. The rink was a little busier than I thought it would be. But we had fun despite all the ice bumps. There are a bunch of spots where water drips from the rafters and lands on the ice and makes little speed bumps, they can trip you up if you are not careful. Megan was having fun trying to skate over them...she's our little dare devil! She must have quite a bit of Reil blood in her!

Paige our little ice skating princess!
Can you see the concentration on Megan's face? She skated very well today and I did not have to help her get up at all. She is turning into a great little skater!
Paige and Megan posing on the ice....pure sweetness!
I was attempting to take a picture of Paige skating backward when she plopped down on her bottom...so I got this instead! At least she is smiling :)

Paige and Megan look like they are about to collide but somehow they didn't. I think it is cool that I caught Megan with her foot up...looks like a flamingo!

Rowdy thinks he's king of the kongs!

A kong is a little rubber toy (the thing between his paws) and it has a little hole in it that you can put a puppy treat in. Rowdy loves his kong...as long as it is stuffed with a puppy treat. No puppy treat and he just ignores it. If the kong is loaded with a puppy treat then it is like a doggy pacifier...he will lick at it, bounce it and even resort to tossing it down a flight of stairs to get the treat out.

Rebel on the other hand is not so serious about the kong...he will run and chase it just becasue it bounces....treat or no treat. He gets excited when there's a treat in it but he does not get obsessed with it.

We have two kongs...yesterday I gave one to each dog before I went to do my work out at the club. Rebel had his in his dog cage with him and Rowdy was in a sunbeam on the floor working on his. When I returned Rebels kong was stuffed under a blanket in the corner of his puppy cage...with treat intact. Rowdy's kong was empty so when I let Rebel out to play Rowdy thought he would go get Rebel's kong. I told Rowdy to leave it alone. Later when Megan and I were going off to her dance class we put Rebel back in his cage. This really upset Rowdy because he still wanted the kong...he even growled at Rebel. This was kind of funny because Rebel had no clue what Rowdy was so upset about. I was a bit annoyed with Rowdy but I did put another treat in his kong so that he would leave Rebel alone while we were out.

So that is the story of King Kong!

Paige and Megan mugging for the
camera. Our little ice skaters!









Paige getting her skating legs warmed up. The ice was a little smoother this week not so rutted up so it took a few laps to get her confidence back.

We went ice skating again this past Sunday. We didn't get there until 3 p.m. but by 4:30 the place was empty and we had our own private ice rink for the last half hour until it closed at 5.
This is Megan the Blue Bomber...she loves to get going fast then turn around and crash on purpose...it freaks me out...I'm rushing over to make sure she's okay and she's grinning from ear to ear:)
Paige getting a tow from her dad.

Sweet Dreams...


When I came home last night the girls had just gone to bed. After changing into comfortable clothes and watching the Buckeyes get their butts kicked I went up to check on the girls. Rebel was in with Paige...guess the outburst from Mike over his team doing so poorly made Rebel want to snuggle up where there is peace and quiet. Megan looks so sweet snuggled up with her bear that Great Grandma got her for her 2nd b.day. The bear wears a pink t-shirt that says "I love Megan" on it. Megan calls the bear "Sweetie".

This little camera that Paige has takes great pictures in the dark on the night mode...the only light in the room are the girls little nightlights. When you think about it camera's have come such a long way in such a short time. Remember the cameras with the little square light cubes on top. Or the 110 camera of the 70's. We used to tease my grandma about cutting peoples heads off...don't think it was her. It was probably just the old camera she was using. Sorry Grandma!

Here is Megan and Rebel waiting at the front door for Paige's school bus last Thursday. Can you see that Megan has bare feet...it was about 60 degrees and sunny that is why we had the front door open with just the glass storm door closed. We like to let the sun in whenever we can...it was pretty warm for early January. The next picture is Rebel greeting Paige...they are both so thrilled to see each other....after being apart from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. When Paige came in she said "It's like Rebel thinks I'm a movie star, he's so happy to see me". Rebel just knows that Paige will play with him and then snuggle up when he needs a nap.

Puppy Update:

Rebel will be 4 months old on January 14th. He has grown so much since we picked him from the litter...when he was 4 weeks old. He was just a little butter ball back then, he could hardly walk in a straight line. Now he is so fast, and he can jump like a jack-rabbit. When we brought him home at 6 weeks old he was just four and a half pounds. Now he is a whopping 9 lbs. 9 oz. He looks so tall and his feet look huge, but if he is standing near Rowdy he is slightly shorter than Rowdy. I think he will be very close to Rowdy's size. Rebel had the last of his puppy shots yesterday, he was not pleased with the rabies shot...it stung and he cried. Poor little pup. He is turning into a good dog...he goes to the front or back doors when he wants out. He even whines, which is more than Rowdy will do. Rowdy will just stare at you like "Hey Stupid get up and let me out"...but it works. Rowdy and Rebel are getting along a little better...meaning Rebel is learning not to chase Rowdy and bite at him...as much. Rebel will drop things like mulch and leaves out of his mouth when I tell him, but not rocks...I have to dig those out with my fingers. Don't ask me why this silly pup wants to eat rocks?! He has become a part of our family and the girls are good with him, and no matter what Mike says I know he loves him too.

The Perfect Day
With Paige and
Joe Boxer


Over winter break Paige and I had a nice outing together while Megan was at a playdate with one of her kindergarten friends. It was nice just sharing some time together and getting to enjoy Joe's company. Ya see Paige usually is in school when I get to go walk Joe. Sometimes Megan gets to come along because she does not have kindergarten everyday. This was a nice treat for Paige.

You can see how much she loves Joe and it was fun to let her walk him....she looks so proud. There is something about walking a big, handsome dog that makes you feel special. We are so lucky to have Aunt Deb, Bud and Joe in our lives. Deb always thanks me so much for taking Joe out and she gets us the cutest little gifts. I keep telling her the best gift of all is seeing Joe. He always makes us smile!